About this Research Topic
Psychiatric disorders are one of the global health problems, affecting over 900 million individuals and causing a substantial global burden, approximately $8.5 trillion in 2010. Despite the high prevalence and societal costs, the cellular mechanism in the brain underlying these disorders remains unknown, hindering the development of effective treatments. Different cellular substrates, including various types of neurons and glial cells, have been implicated in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. Nevertheless, a consensus on the cellular mechanisms leading to the onset (or worsening) of psychiatric symptoms is still missing. Enhancing knowledge on neurons and glia dysfunction in psychiatric phenotype would provide the basis for more accurate diagnosis and prognosis and potential targets for drug development or alternative therapeutic interventions.
Clearly, recent advances in neurobiology and related sciences have a profoundly empowering effect on various categorizations of neurons, such as molecular- or circuit-defined subpopulation, and enable to clarify the role of those subpopulations in behavioral phenotypes by targeted observation or manipulation. Moreover, multiple essential functions of glial cells in the brain have been proposed in the last decades, including fine-tuning of neuronal network activity, metabolic support of axons, synaptic pruning, response to environmental insults or stimuli, and maintenance of neurotransmitter homeostasis.
We invite research - from basic to clinical and intervention studies - focusing on the pathophysiology of specific cell types or their interactions and their contribution to psychiatric phenotypes. Any types of cells in the brain can be studied, such as subpopulation of neurons, glial cells or other cell types including pericytes and immune-related cells, that contribute to psychiatric disorders.
This Research Topic will cover clinical studies which investigates various types of psychiatric disorders such as addiction, autism spectrum disorders, affective disorders, anxiety, schizophrenia or etc. We also welcome studies that employ the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, coding behavioral domains that are relevant to symptoms in psychiatric disorders for translational relevance. This is based on a matrix of major systems, including negative valence systems, positive valence systems, cognitive systems, social processing systems, arousal and regulatory systems.
Clearly, recent advances in neurobiology and related sciences have a profoundly empowering effect on various categorizations of neurons, such as molecular- or circuit-defined subpopulation, and enable to clarify the role of those subpopulations in behavioral phenotypes by targeted observation or manipulation. Moreover, multiple essential functions of glial cells in the brain have been proposed in the last decades, including fine-tuning of neuronal network activity, metabolic support of axons, synaptic pruning, response to environmental insults or stimuli, and maintenance of neurotransmitter homeostasis.
We invite research - from basic to clinical and intervention studies - focusing on the pathophysiology of specific cell types or their interactions and their contribution to psychiatric phenotypes. Any types of cells in the brain can be studied, such as subpopulation of neurons, glial cells or other cell types including pericytes and immune-related cells, that contribute to psychiatric disorders.
This Research Topic will cover clinical studies which investigates various types of psychiatric disorders such as addiction, autism spectrum disorders, affective disorders, anxiety, schizophrenia or etc. We also welcome studies that employ the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, coding behavioral domains that are relevant to symptoms in psychiatric disorders for translational relevance. This is based on a matrix of major systems, including negative valence systems, positive valence systems, cognitive systems, social processing systems, arousal and regulatory systems.
Keywords: neurons, neuroplasticity, neural circuits, glial cells, oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, microglia, neuron-glia interaction, psychiatric illnesses-relevant phenotypes
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
